The rural town of Buchan in Victoria’s Gippsland region was ravaged by the recent bushfire crisis, resulting in the destruction of 24 homes and the loss of one life.
The aftermath of the bushfires has brought many stories of bravery and compassion to the publics’ attention and there are none more deserving of praise than the courageous act of two police officers from Buchan who saved the lives of two elderly people.
Dramatic footage of the rescue has recently emerged online, prompting members of the public to call for the officers to receive bravery awards, and yesterday, one of the officers spoke to 3AW’s Neil Mitchell and provided the details to this amazing story.
When Senior Constable Ray Moreland and his partner, Senior Constable Andrew Trace, noticed flames heading towards the elderly couple’s home, they decided to get closer to see if they could possibly save the property.
Upon arrival, the officers realised that parts of the home were already ablaze, but the fact that the elderly couple’s car was still parked out the front indicated that the pair may still be inside.
“When I saw the car parked out the front I knew they were still in the house because they are both 83-years-old,” Mr. Moreland told 3AW’s Neil Mitchell.
“I didn’t think they were gonna leave the house, and it turns out they were just going to defend the house.”
With fire around the home growing more intense by the second, Constable Moreland was shocked to see 83-year-old homeowner Ian trying to fight the blaze with a garden hose while his wife Glenda sat inside the home in the dark.
“They said they were going to leave shortly,” said Constable Moreland, “ but I think it was going to be a bit too late, particularly with Gwen still sitting in the house, in the dark, with no power.”
The elderly couple were finally brought to safety by the officers as the home continued to burn, but according to Constable Moreland, it did take some convincing to get Glenda out.
“She was collecting stuff like shoes,” he said.
“We didn’t know how long we had until the fireball hit us, so we just had to get them out as quickly as we can.”
Senior Constable Ray Moreland has worked as a police officer in Buchan for 17 years, and although he has seen bushfires in the town he told 3AW that no one in town had ever seen anything like the recent bushfires.
When questioned by Neil Mitchell as to whether these actions make him a hero, the brave policeman proved that he is just as humble as he is courageous.
“As long as their safe and as long as we got them out, that was the main thing I needed to do.”
Photo Screenshot Courtesy of 3AW Youtube Channel
